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Calif. man says he was on Everest during avalanche

The Associated Press

Updated:
04/19/2014 07:40:26 PM EDT

SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) — A California man said he was on Mount Everest when an avalanche struck that killed at least 13 people.

Kenwood, Calif., contractor Jon Reiter said his Sherpa guide pushed him behind some ice blocks and out of harm's way after the avalanche struck. Reiter, who said he was climbing the mountain with an Australian partner, talked to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat (http://bit.ly/1hcOA0R ) in an interview by satellite phone from base camp in Nepal, where he wrote a blog entry to let family and friends know he was OK.

"We were moving up to Camp 1 just after dawn when we heard that 'crack,' " said Reiter, 49. "My first thought was to film it, and I reached for my camera. But the Sherpa yelled to get down. Things started happening in slow motion. Big blocks of snow and ice started coming down all around."

It's not clear how close Reiter was to the avalanche when it killed the Sherpa guides. But in response to questions, Reiter wrote on his blog Saturday: "There were very few western climbers in the area and all of us had our climbing Sherpa by our sides and they all survived."